Description

1986 World Series Last Out Baseball from The Gary Carter
Collection. It's a baseball that, by all laws of mathematical
probability, shouldn't exist. Just forty-eight hours earlier, the
National League Champion New York Mets were dangling from the
thinnest of threads over the abyss of elimination, down two runs in
the bottom of the tenth inning in Game Six at Shea Stadium, with no
runners aboard. The Curse of the Bambino, a luckless plague that
had hung over the city of Boston for nearly seven decades, was a
single defensive out from its cure. For a brief moment, even the
Mets scoreboard signaled its resignation to the inevitability of
the Mets' defeat, flashing, "Congratulations Boston Red Sox,
1986 World Champions."

But then Gary Carter singled. Kevin Mitchell, pinch hitting in the
pitcher's spot, singled again. Ray Knight made it three in a row,
plating Carter and trimming the lead to one. Red Sox manager John
McNamara lifted the rattled closer Calvin Schiraldi for the veteran
Bob Stanley who battled Mookie Wilson to a two and two count. One
strike away.

But on the seventh pitch Stanley threw wild, sending Wilson and the
ball to the dirt. Mitchell raced home to tie the game, and Ray
Knight scampered to second base. Wilson fouled off the eighth and
ninth pitches as the count remained full. Then, on the tenth pitch
of the at-bat, Stanley delivered this baseball to the plate.

We all know what happened next. In Red Sox hell, Vin Scully's call
plays over the intercom in a continuous loop. "A little roller
up along first...behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here
comes Knight, and the Mets win it!"

The sport's most notorious error would set up a winner-take-all
Game Seven in Queens the next night, but a deluge of rain pushed
the contest back a day to Monday, October 27th. The Red Sox would
strike first, in the top of the second inning, plating three runs
which the home team would match in the bottom of the sixth. With
the wind at their backs, the Mets would duplicate the feat the next
inning before allowing the Red Sox to pull back to within a run in
the top of the eighth. But the Mets would score the final two runs
of the night in the bottom half of the frame, leaving the Red Sox
with only the top of the ninth inning to recover from a three-run
deficit. But they would instead go down in order.

After the nightmarish error that turned Bill Buckner into New
England's pariah, the most memorable image of the 1986 World Series
is Mets closer Jesse Orosco on his knees with arms aloft in victory
after blasting a third strike past Red Sox second baseball Marty
Barrett to secure the World Championship. With that ball firmly in
his grasp, Mets catcher Gary Carter had only a moment to leap into
the air before he was gang-tackled by a jubilant Mets dugout
celebrating the most improbable resurrection in baseball
history.

The most significant artifact to emerge from The Gary Carter
Collection, the presented Official 1986 World Series (Ueberroth)
baseball is toned from age and Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud, and
notated in Carter's block lettering on the side panel:

"Last out game ball of the 1986 World Series. Jesse Orosco
struck out Mary Barrett to make the Mets the World Champions in
Shea Stadium, Final score 8-5. Mets in 7 Games."

It's been nearly five years since Heritage auctioneed Bill
Buckner's fatal error ball for $418,250, the most salient point of
reference is evaluation for this historic horsehide. For many Big
Apple residents, the collision of this ball with the leather of
Gary Carter's mitt marks the single greatest moment of their sports
fandom. It's unquestionably one of the most significant game used
baseballs ever offered at public auction. Notarized letter of
provenance from Gary Carter. Letter of provenance from Sandy
Carter.Pre-certified by PSA/DNA. Auction LOA from
James Spence Authentication.